HighLite Vibes Chatter

Panorama Music

There is now a list of 30+ songs for steel bands to choose from for the 2010 Panorama seasons. Many of them are sung by very notable calypsonians and soca artistes. The complete list can be viewed here. Ten bands competed in the Brooklyn Panorama 2K9 but the audience were only treated to THREE songs. (Really it was five songs total, but the top four bands played either “Magic Drum” or “Bandeleros”) Ten bands and only three songs – it is a discouraging statistic since there was a wide variety of music to choose from for the 2K9 season.
If I recall correctly, Machel’s rendition of “Magic Drum” and Tunapuna Scanty’s run of “Bandeleros” were the most popular for the Brooklyn panorama with four bands playing Magic Drum!

Maybe because it is a competition, every band wants to play the song that gives them the best chance to win but as a member of the audience, it is a heck of a lot sweeter to hear several different songs as oppose to several different arrangements of the same song. Nonetheless, it remains a tantalizing treat to see how many different songs will be performed in the 2010 panorama season. The list of 30 plus choices continues to grow.

Additionally, I am sure I am not the only one who crave a variety of music at a steelband show. It is unfortunate that the Panorama Competition is about the only “arena” for listening to world-class steel band music live. However, this can be looked upon as a worthwhile opportunity for steelbands to come together and fill that void and craving shared by the public for great steel band music, and with so many choices in music – 2010 can be a defining moment in the stagnant steel band industry.

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Version Upgrade Again

Is it just me, or is the speed of the IT world flowing at an ever increasing rate. Missed a few days of online activity and my mailbox(es) are all flooded with email. Miss the upgrade release of several online applications including this blog and my tweet application. Really – there is no time to become disconnected. It can be a bit overwhelming if you are not prepared.

Quick update: Completed a draft for a drum program workshop that would last 12 weeks. It will be subjected to review this week. Also, completed the introduction and exercises for a steelpan program. Some of these programs, lessons, workshops will be made available on this website in the new year.

Creating a Panorama Intro (the Recipe) — really!!

Ingredients
1 – song suitable for a Panorama (very important — song must be rich in harmonic progressions and have a very definite melody, avoid songs that have repetitive motifs for a melody line).
2 – full band drops into 4 sixteenth notes (4 beats total)
1 – jamming progression
1 – Recognizable phrase from the “suitable for a Panorama” song (2-4 bars)
3 – different (but similar) 2-bar scales (ascending)
2 – different 2-bar scales (descending)
1 – Harmonic plan (see below)

Harmonic Plan
Assuming the “suitable for a Panorama” song is in the concert key of E major, then the intro that we will create shall start in a key some distance from E-major — let’s say Bb major. Now we develop a plan to move from Bb to E major. Easy suggestion would be:
-modulate from Bb to B using Gb7
-Drops on B and then on B7 takes the music to E major

Method

• Begin by using one of the two full band drops to grab the listeners’ attention.
• Now transpose this drop to a NEW key and use again.
• Next go back to original drop then find the dominant and hold for 4-beats.
• Now repeat this entire opening.

Example: Bb drops –>transposed to C minor drops –>back to Bb drops –> end on F7 (Repeat)

• In the repeat, substitute a two bar ascending scale in the dominant 4-beat spot.
• The scale will lead into the recognizable 2-4 bar phrase of the actual song.
• Transition this into the “jamming progression”
• Use a descending scale to exit jamming progression
• Progress immediately into the second ascending scale
• This scale leads into second full band drops (Repeat)
• Use second descending scale immediately into the final ascending scale which then leads to start of the actual song.

Remember this is a hypothetical scenario. Arrangers should never limit their creativity to a “standard version” or “recipe” or “text-book.” Instead, an arranger should strive to be a disciple of the music; let the music be your leader and guide, and then when it is done, it will be beautiful.

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Pan Sonatas Supremacy

It has been nearly two weeks since the Pan Sonatas Steel Orchestra was decided as the 2009 New York Panorama champions. There is no doubt that Sonatas was among the top three bands that night — the other two being CASYM and ADLIB steel orchestra. However, it was surprising that Sonatas won by such a wide margin in a competition where many thought it was a toss up between the top three.

Speaking with folks on the grounds of the museum Panorama night, many persons were picking any one of this big three to win — each with their own specific reasons:
“Sonatas had a better development of the piece.”
“CASYM got de fire.”
“ADLIB was crazy — he mixed the DISNEY theme song in there!! CRAZY!!.”

These are some of the arguments I heard speaking with various persons I met that night. Personally, I felt CASYM was best that night — but what do I know? The judges placed them third! Casym executed their passages with a clarity that sounded superior to Sonatas and ADLIB. I felt ADLIB was doing too much too often — sometimes, less is more.

But coming to my main gripe — I have no problem with the results – however, was Sonatas really 20 points better than CASYM? And 10 points better than ADLIB. The actual scores do befuddle me — Sonatas did have a great arrangement, but so did CASYM and ADLIB. Sonatas did have great dynamics, but so did CASYM and ADLIB. What then did Sonatas have that the other bands did not have?

Sonatas had great synchronized choreography that worked excellently with their piece of choice. Additionally, they had more singing within their band than any other. Further, they were singing on little motifs that highlighted what the arranger was thinking as he developed the piece. Also, of the three bands, Sonatas bass had the deepest thump. Is that a result of the band setup; the engineer on the board? or the” blending” prowess of the tuner? I may have missed some other finer points that may have been the difference for Sonatas, but regardless, do these differences really add up to a 10+ point advantage over the next closest rivals? I still find that difficult to conclude…

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Getting Lucky in the Panorama

How do you explain “a lot of luck?” I can not seem to get my mind around what that could possibly mean. I discovered that there isn’t much difference in terms of musical arrangements and sound between the top 3-4 bands. The deciding factor appears to come from clarity, command of the stage and crowd response (believe it or not).

When you pay careful attention to the execution of runs, and long passages, you would hear a difference in clarity from band to band. (Again, nearly every band especially in the top 4 has an arrangement worthy of the title). Clarity is disrupted by “skating” usually due to the tempo being too fast, players being too excited on stage or musical passages being too technically challenging for band members. The bands that keep “skating” to a minimum, will sound the clearest and have the better chance of securing the top spot — without having to rely on “luck”

Stage Presence comes down to choreography, enthusiam and other little subtleties or shenanigans that may “wow,” or interest the crowd and judges — ESPECIALLY the crowds…maybe that is “luck.”
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